Secrets
by gnomenut
Summary: Draco and Hermione are head boy and head girl after the war when they come back to Hogwarts to complete their final year of school. Hermione knows that working together is going to be hell, but when she discovers Draco is hiding something from her - something dark and deadly - will she sacrifice it all to find out what it is?
1. Pretenses

**SECRETS**

Chapter 1: Pretenses

"You don't have to do this Hermione," Ron reminded her for the millionth time, his brow furrowing into a frown that seemed to be superimposed onto his face as of recently. "Merlin knows you've done enough for a life time. Do you really want to work with that slimy git?"

The landscape flew past them as the train sped towards Hogwarts. Hermione sighed as she stared out the window, watching the familiar scenery appear and disappear past their compartment. Fall was beginning to take hold of the earth outside, but the imposing green still held strong amongst the trees and rolling hills the Hogwarts Express passed. She didn't think she'd make this journey again – not after all they had been through. It was a strange sort of relief to see these rushed yet familiar surroundings speed past them once more.

Hermione had already considered turning down the position of head girl hundreds of times. There was probably someone else who was just as well suited as she was for the job, someone who was smart and capable and had no qualms against working with the arrogant prick. But when the ministry requested that all students had to return to Hogwarts to finish their year that was cut short after the war ended, McGonagall had requested that she take the position, an offer she couldn't refuse.

But working with _Draco Malfoy_? What were they thinking when they made that decision? After everything that had happened between them, picking Malfoy seemed like an odd choice. From what she had heard his father died during the war and although Narcissa Malfoy had been cleared of most of her charges after she had saved Harry's life, people said she never left the Malfoy Manor anymore. As for Draco, they hadn't seen each other since the battle of Hogwarts.

But then again, Hermione hadn't seen very many people after the war either. Her time was spent trying to avoid the spotlight as she searched for her parents. When she finally found them and their lives had returned back to as normal as they could make them, the rest of her time was divided between her family and Harry and the Weasleys.

"I'm sure McGonagall would understand if you just gave the position to someone else," Harry added, "Besides, what with this being our final year, I think it would be nice if we all just enjoyed ourselves. No battles, no wars, not anything."

"Exactly," Ginny agreed, her fingers intertwined with Harry's, "How you're ever expected to work with him is beyond me."

Ginny and Harry had since become a couple, much to Ron's dismay. Her own relationship with the red haired boy however, was still hazy. Hermione had thought they would be able to work it out during the school year, but she was beginning to doubt that was going to be a possibility if she was going to be constantly busy with her head girl duties. They never mentioned anything about their kiss after it happened, but over the past few weeks they had become a lot closer, something that she wasn't sure how to feel about. He was still one of her closest friends, but could they be more?

"I think everything will work out eventually," she responded, tearing her eyes away from the window to stare at her three friends. "I don't particularly like working with him, but I trust McGonagall's judgment. We just won't be spending any time with each other. Besides, it's not like I would ever want to spend time hearing him rant about his pureblood complex."

She could hear Ron scoff incredulously beside her, but she ignored it.

Hermione was trying her best to be optimistic, but was finding it harder than usual to but a positive spin on this situation. When she first heard she was going to be working with Malfoy she didn't have a response because, after all, she thought it must have been a joke. She pleaded with Professor McGonagall to reconsider, to find someone else – anyone else – who would take Malfoy's place as head boy.

"Wouldn't Neville be a good choice?" Hermione had offered, pleading Professor McGonagall to change her mind, "He's just as smart and capable to do any job that Malfoy could do. He's a perfect fit!"

"I don't disagree that Neville would be a good choice," the professor had begun, giving Hermione a glimmer of hope that maybe she would change her mind, "But the truth of the matter is Draco Malfoy has a better academic record, comparable to yours I might add."

Before Hermione could interrupt Professor McGonagall continued, "It would not be fair to offer the position to someone else just because you and Draco do not get along. I know you two will be able to get over your differences eventually. This is a second chance for someone who needs one, and an opportunity to encourage interhouse unity, something I'm sure you understand will be lacking this year extensively."

Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing, but didn't respond. Professor McGonagall seemed adamant that Draco was to be head boy, and there would be no convincing her otherwise.

"I understand Professor," Hermione sighed.

Professor McGonagall nodded, giving Hermione a small empathetic smile. "Good. I hope this doesn't deter you from the position. If there's anyone that can do it it's you."

That conversation was months ago and since then she had agreed to be appointed head girl. She didn't know what this year was going to bring. The school was in shambles the last she saw it, but they had been rebuilding since then. Divisions between houses would be apparent, but she would work on that. Although with Draco as head boy she wasn't sure how possible that was going to be.

"So does this mean you won't be in staying in the Gryffindor dormitories?" Ginny asked, Hermione.

"I don't think so. There's supposed to be a shared dormitory for the heads and -"

There was millisecond as her friends digested this new information, before they all started talking all at once.

"So does this mean I'm stuck with Lavender and Parvati by myself?"

"That's terrible, we're gonna miss you."

"You're going to be living with that conniving ferret?!"

Before Hermione could respond, the door to their compartment opened, stopping her from giving Ron a sharp look of disapproval. He was going to have to work on being more tolerant. She didn't want to have to take points away from her own house because her friend couldn't hold his tongue.

As the door opened further she saw that Draco was standing there in his usual black. His blond hair slicked back and his skin a lot paler than she remembered it, almost sickly. She expected him to say something vile, but instead of making a rude comment on the odd and flurried state her friends, he just sneered.

"They need us in the heads compartment soon," he said, his voice sounding if he was already bored with their conversation, "It seems we're going to have some work on our hands when we arrive." His face was terse and unpleasant as he looked at her. His constant sneer gone, but now replaced with an almost rude and arrogant indifference.

"Fine," Hermione replied, her voice trying to remain professional, "I'll be there in a few minutes."

Draco nodded, but didn't say anything else.

The rest of her friends were quiet, silently watching the encounter.

Maybe he's changed, Hermione thought, he hasn't said anything rude in the few moments we've been talking. It was a promising start.

But just as she had that thought, Draco paused just as he was closing their compartment door.

"I see you've hit it off with one of the Weasley's Potter," Draco smirked at Harry, "I'm just sorry it wasn't the one you wanted." He quickly nodded towards Ron before closing the compartment door and left.

"What the hell did he mean by that?!" Ron roared seconds later, "That arrogant bastard!"

"Forget about him Ron," Harry replied, "It's best if you just ignore him."

"Yeah, he doesn't know what he's talking about," Ginny added, giving Harry a smile and quick peck on the cheek.

"And you kissing my best friend is supposed to make me feel better?" Ron cried, "You're all mad."

Hermione sighed.

Maybe some things never change.

**A/N: Hey guys! This is my first try writing Dramione so be gentle! I want to start frequent updates on this (it's the summer – what else do I do besides read and write?), but I would some feedback! I hope you all liked it and I hope you stick around! Also, as a disclaimer, even though I wish I owned the rights to Harry Potter, I don't.**

**gnomenut**


	2. Starting Over

**SECRETS**

Chapter Two: Starting Over

Her and Draco faced their first task and managed not to kill each other.

However, that might have had something to do with the fact that they were still clearly ignoring the other's existence. They didn't talk to each other at all as they were briefed in the head compartment along side all of the prefects, and they especially avoided eye contact. Despite the occasional slip and up the constant frown on his face, things went rather well.

Hermione took a portion of the students while Draco and the others took to their own groups. Before they were announced officially into their positions it seemed as though both of them had agreed to ignore the fact that this was merely first of the many things they would do as Heads this year.

But now, as they were sitting in the Great Hall, waiting for all of the students to be sorted into their houses Hermione looked around, taking in the familiar sights of her home away from home and the new family members joining them.

There were quite a bit of Hufflepuffs being sorted this year, as well as a fair amount of Gryffindors. However, she noticed that whenever anyone was sorted into Slytherin, they were never quite that excited.

After the war Slytherin negative reputation grew. Quite a few of the students' parents had fought with Voldemort as Death Eaters, and even someone of the students themselves decided to get the Dark Mark. Not many of them returned this year despite the Ministry's ruling. Those that were part of Slytherin but had no part in the blood prejudices had tried to distance themselves as far away as possible from the others in their house who were still trying to deal with the aftermath of the war. Just like those with the Order, they too had lost parents.

Their table was smaller than it normally was, but Hermione was sure that the added students would help make up for the loss.

"Welcome students to Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry!" McGonagall exclaimed, her voice echoing across the Great Hall.

The new students were settling down amongst their new house mates as everyone else was just eagerly awaiting the moment when the food would show up.

Hermione could hear McGonagall give her own speech similar to those she remembered Dumbledore give every year. Her thoughts drifted to those happier, more innocent times, when her, Harry and Ron were just kids. Now Hermione didn't know who she was just yet . So many things had changed - including the people in her life - that she didn't know what to feel when she listened to Professor McGonagall speak.

Hermione perked up when she heard the headmistress say her name.

"This year I am pleased to announce that your Heads of Students. You're Head Girl is Hermione Granger –"

The students in the Great Hall applauded, the Gryffindor table the loudest of them all. McGonagall gave them a stern look until they quieted down.

"And Head Boy is Draco Malfoy."

Now it was the Slytherin table's turn to applaud wildly. A few scattered students cheered around the Great Hall as well, including a large portion of the female population Hermione noticed, but still, many of the students were in shock as the Gryffindor table voiced their outrage loudly. How was their Hermione Granger ever supposed to work with an ex-Death Eater?

"Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy?" they whispered.

"What was the old bat thinking?!"

"I bet you 20 sickles they're going to kill each other within the month."

"I told you this was a bad idea," she heard Ron mutter next to her.

Hermione gave him a stern look, but before she could respond McGonagall's voice bellowed across the long room, catching the student's attention.

"_Silence!_ These two students have proven themselves to be exemplary students and I believe that this year we can finally bridge the gap between our houses. Interhouse unity will be strictly encouraged-"

Gonagall went on for a few more minutes, but no one was really listening. Everyone was still wondering why the Muggle born one third of the golden trio was going to be working with a Malfoy.

Hermione tried to drown out the quiet chatter around her. Ginny and Harry were in their own little world. Ron just looked anxious as he waited for the food. She could already imagine the type of year she was going to have.

Her hours spent in the library were going to be a constant, her time with friends, the weekends to Hogsmeade, and the nightly patrols with the prefects. She would normally be looking forward to all of these things if it wasn't for the person she would be living with.

Hermione glanced over at him from across the room. He was sitting next to Zabini and Nott, not his normal gang, but after what happened to Crabbe she figured he would have probably wanted a change in company.

She was on relatively good terms with Nott. They weren't the best of friends, but her time spent with him during potions wasn't as awful as she had though it would be. Zabini on the other hand was something of a mystery to her. She had seen him around and had spoken to him a few times, but he seemed to be just as bad as Draco. The two of them were talking to each other as Draco sat next to them, rolling their eyes whenever McGonagall made any sort of reference to interhouse unity.

And Hermione could relate, she wasn't quite sure "interhouse unity" was even a possibility this year. Not so soon after the war. Everything still seemed too tense to make any sort of progress in that respect.

His two friends were still talking when he met her eyes. He had caught her looking at him. The tension in between them was clear as they waited to see who would look away first. His stormy eyes held fast as he gave her a condescending look. She tried to hold his eyes, but when McGonagall mentioned something about the ceilings, she couldn't help but glance until it was too late. When she turned back towards Malfoy she saw him smirk arrogantly before joined the conversation that Nott and Zabini were holding.

Hermione let out an inward groan. So it seemed he was going to play the silent bastard card. She knew he though he already had the upper hand in their arrangement. He wouldn't be acting so arrogant in their silent battle if he didn't.

But did she really know that? Malfoy was always an idiot. She just hopped things didn't go as terribly wrong as people around her kept assuming they would. After all, she had already assumed that they would have had some sort of spat already. The fact that they hadn't made her feel a little anxious.

It was then that the headmistress finally finished her welcome speech. The students in the Great Hall cheered as food began appearing on their tables. Ron and Seamus let out a shared cry of joy as plates upon plates of deliciously wonderful food appeared in front of them.

Once the feast in the Great Hall ended, the prefects began leading each house back to their dormitories. Hermione stuck with Harry, Ron, and Ginny for as long as she could.

"Do you know what your dorm is going to look like," Harry asked her.

"I'm not sure actually," Hermione replied, not having thought about it before.

"I heard that they were incredible," Luna added pleasantly, seemingly having appeared next to them from nowhere.

"Hello Luna," Harry greeted, "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for nargles," she replied dreamily, her hair combed into an intricate array of braids that sat upon the top of her head. "But I don't think I'm going to find them here. Have you seen them?"

"No not really."

Ron mumbled to no one, "Has _anyone_ ever seen them?"

Hermione elbowed him for being rude while she tried to hold back a chuckle. As fond as she was for Luna, the girl was still very odd.

Luna nodded solemnly, but gave them all a smile. "Well I guess I better look somewhere else then. Goodbye."

"Bye Luna," Ginny smiled at her friend as she walked away, turning at the corner the Gryffindor tower.

They continued to talk until they reached the door of their dormitory. Hermione felt like things were beginning to get back to normal.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay? I don't want you to spend all of your time locked up in that room with Malfoy," Harry asked her. And just like that, her hope for normality ended when she was abruptly reminded of her living situation. She knew that Harry just felt bad that she wasn't going to be able to spend as much time with them anymore now that they weren't going to be in the same place, but it still hurt to be reminded of it. "We could hang out in the common room like old times."

As tempting as that sounded she knew she had to get to her own dorm before curfew. Hermione didn't want to break the rules her first night back at Hogwarts as Head Girl – she'd leave that for another time.

"Sorry, I think I better go. But you have fun without me," Hermione did feel terrible about not spending more time with them their first night, but she knew she had the rest of the school to make for it.

Ron looked disappointed. "You know Hermione, sometimes you just got to break the rules a little."

She chuckled, "You'll regret saying once you're the first person to make Gryffindor loose house points. Goodnight Ron."

"'Night." She gave each of them a wave as she made her way back down to her dormitory.

The hallways were now quiet now as just the last of the older students were finishing making their way back to their dorms. The walk from the astronomy tower to the Heads dormitory was rather long, but a trek she'd assume she'd grow to become familiar with. She just couldn't imagine inviting her friends and forcing to share her own common room with Malfoy.

When she finally arrived at her door she stopped.

It was a grand painting of an older woman reading a book by a windowsill overlooking an grape orchard. The woman had dark raven black hair was streaked with gray, her robes were simple, her face pleasant. It wasn't one she had ever seen before.

"I'm assuming you are Hermione Granger," the woman asked, her voice no where near as loud as the Fat Lady gave Hermione a long look before greeting her with a welcome smile. "The young Master Malfoy is already inside. Do you know the password already?"

Hermione gave the woman in the painting a small smile and nodded,"_Verum nocte."__  
_

The door behind the frame unlocked.

"Wonderful," the woman, her voice the pinnacle of reserved before returning to her book.

Hermione gripped the edge of the door and closed her eyes. _Merlin help me._

And with that, she stepped inside, marking the beginning of something that she would never have imagined.

**A/N: I'm trying to be pretty consistent with this, so hopefully I'll be able to chug stuff out on an every-other-day basis or something. I really appreciate feedback so leave a review and I'll give you a cyber cookie. Also, have you read the new short story by J.K. Rowling?! Holy Cheezus I literally cried because it was so amazing. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing so please don't sue me (because I have too many college loans to pay off instead).**

**- gnomenut**


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